It’s fate.
Nothing else can explain it.
Forces beyond our control were going to converge somehow in order for this to happen.
It had to happen this way. In many ways, though you wanted to avoid it, it was supposed to be this way.
Giants-Eagles: Round 3 - With a shot at the NFC Championship at stake.
Can it get any better than this?
Around the midway point of the season, I took a glance at the rest of the field in order to find out which team(s) would pose the biggest threat to the Giants chances of a repeat trip to the Super Bowl.
I scanned far and wide in search of an opponent that could pull it off and was struggling. The conclusion I ended up drawing was that the only team that had a legitimate shot was right in our own backyard.
Arizona Cardinals? No.
Atlanta Falcons? No.
Minnesota Vikings? Double no.
Carolina Panthers? Maybe.
Only the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles had the proverbial “snowball’s chance in hell” of coming into Giants Stadium in January and winning.
The Cowboys had their chance to get into the playoffs and chose not to show up for their eventual beat down at the hands of the Eagles who needed more help than the economy to get into the playoffs that same day.
In perfect world, the Tampa Bay Bucs would not have choked away the final four games of the season. The Chicago Bears would have found a way to win against the Houston Texans, which would have eliminated Philadelphia before their game with Dallas ever started.
Once the Eagles were participants in this year’s tournament, they lurked in the background. Playing a familiar opponent in a postseason situation is always tricky, especially meeting them potentially for the third time. Add to that, the lingering memory of the Eagles completely dominating the Giants at home just over a month ago. That team was in full desperation mode against one that was dealing with the full-blown Plaxico Burress drama.
For one day, most of us became fans of the Minnesota Vikings in hopes of avoiding this potential “Thrilla in Manila” type of showdown from our neighbors 90 miles away. Unfortunately, counting on Tarvaris Jackson to deliver a playoff win against a good defense is like asking a midget to beat Shaquille O’Neal in a dunk contest.
As the final moments of that game ticked down, reality began to set in. The Eagles were going to come back to Giants Stadium one more time.
Giants-Eagles: Round 3.
In the minutes after that game, my friends in Big Blue Nation sent me messages of worry about what is coming up this Sunday. A serious sense of nervousness and anxiety has taken over. As the days go on, it is only going to intensify.
There’s a reason for this. It’s because the Eagles demand your respect. You do not look at them and simply dismiss them as if they are a mosquito. They get a little more clout that lets say, oh, the Cardinals.
So why am I not nervous?
Put it this way, had the Giants beaten them twice in regular season, I would be incredibly nervous about their chances to pull the hat trick. Look at last year. Splitting two games is not the worst thing in the world. In fact, it is probably a good thing in this situation. Everyone has their antenna's up. Anything thought of "overlooking" is right in the trash disposal.
For someone who is nervous before most if not all of these games (hell, I made a case for the Rams in Week 2 of this season. Oops), I can freely say that I am excited for this one. It does not get any better than playing either the Eagles or the Cowboys in a postseason game.
Bring ‘em on.
Did I want them? In a way, yes.
We need to settle this thing once and for all. You can even declare that even though there is a chance the Panthers will be lurking again in the NFC Championship Game - it is this game, Round 3 that is the real Super Bowl.
At least until February 1 in Tampa.
As we would say before our games this year, “I’m ready. Who’s ready?”
Some people want the easier road and that’s fine. But here’s the thing:
WINNING CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE EASY!
Some teams roads to the big game may have been easier than others have on occasion (see: 1991 Washington Redskins and 1989 San Francisco 49ers), but those occasions are rare. There is/was going to be a tough game in this process. Besides, when you have played the schedule that this team, in addition to the playoff run last year, this group is battled tested and knows what it takes.
For those that submit that the Eagles are “last year’s Giants”, I submit the following question:
Are the Giants the 2007 Cowboys?
It takes two to tangle for this to work. Last year, it took a combination of the Giants playing just well enough to hang around and the Cowboys, who had been on skid row for the previous five weeks, seeing their offensive line break down completely in the second half while Tony Romo had receivers running wide open, only that he was unable to find them.
Unlike the Cowboys, this Giants team had character and was not frontrunners. This team does not back down or run from a fight. Tom Coughlin and Steve Spagnuolo coach the Giants instead of Wade Phillips and Jerry Jones (at times).
Oh, and there is the infamous “T.O Factor”.
If both of these teams play to their maximum, the Giants should win this game. They did win 12 games for a reason much like the Eagles only won nine. Two and a half weeks of rest and comfort has been something this team needed who now also have an additional chip they can put on their shoulder.
The (drive by) media.
For a team that has claimed not to get any respect, they will certainly be proven right this week. The Eagles are everyone’s sexy pick. For whatever reason, they have garnered incredible respect to where beating their last three inept teams have suddenly made them everyone’s choice.
Even at home, they will be picked to lose (even though Las Vegas doesn’t agree – the line is 4.5). Segments of the fans even have doubt as well.
Once again, they are being doubted.
It would be just like them to send a big “I told you so” to those people who think that the world champions are simply going to give up their championship belt and ride off into hibernation.
It’s what makes all of this so much fun. Sunday cannot come soon enough.
Round 3
Let’s rumble.
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